A cottage on Wheeler Road across from Surrey Center serves as the hub of activity for everything Very Vera.
And on Wednesdays, it’s time to film the weekly “The Very Vera Show.”
Her ample kitchen and its multiple islands were filled with prepped food June 8 for the taping of the Season 10 finale which focuses on a favorite Georgia symbol – the peach.
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Wearing a peach-colored top with white pants and a pair of dangling peach earrings, Vera Stewart dressed for the theme. On most mornings, Stewart doesn’t apply much makeup, and on filming days, she prefers to do her own.
On this particular Wednesday, Stewart sat at the big table in the cottage’s front room. The walls are lined with dozens of articles from newspapers and magazines highlighting her cooking business over the years
There, she took a few minutes to gather her thoughts.
“Before we get started, I like to have some quiet to go over the talking points,” said Stewart, who doesn’t follow a formal script for each episode. “It’s very organic. I go with the flow.”
While Stewart worked on mental preparation, the kitchen was a flurry of activity as well with Donna Nail, culinary director; Megan Govedich, associate producer; and Hannah Daniel, an intern whose first association with Stewart came at one of her cooking camps, checking over the ingredients and making sure all the right dishes were out and ready to use.
For the peach episode, Stewart made a peach cobbler, but instead of using a larger dish, for one giant cobbler, she put them in ramekins for individual desserts instead.
Many of the ingredients had already been cut and prepped a day ahead, save a peach and a tomato that Stewart is filmed cutting to put into a salsa. The cilantro next to the cutting board was simply for looks.
And in another pocket of the kitchen, Dusty Jackson and Tim Barrett prepared the lights and cameras for the shoot
When Stewart stepped into the room, prep was over. It was showtime.
Among the first scenes shot were those with no dialogue. There were close-ups of Stewart cutting the produce for the salsa, preheating the oven and covering a pan with cooking spray.
This show also included a special guest and a cool summer sweet surprise using those peaches, but no spoilers here. The peach episode will air July 16, and details including Stewart’s delicious peach recipes will appear in her column in “The Augusta Press” that day.
With the last show of the season filmed, Stewart said she’s taking a short sabbatical, but she’s already thinking ahead for Season 11. Season 10 was a milestone year with a year of adventures. Shows highlighted places such as her hometown of Macon, Columbus, Ga., Columbia, Jamestown, S.C. and even a tour around Augusta.
Next season, Stewart plans to stay closer to her kitchen, she said, and highlight recipes using local and regional foods such as the Vidalia onion and other favorites.
The show will expand into at least three new markets. Contracts have been signed for Raleigh, N.C., Little Rock, Ark., and Fayetteville, Ark.
“Others are in negotiations,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
